Audio 4:43
10 years on: Major humanitarian problems persist in Iraq

Philippa McDonaldUpdated
Tue Mar 19 20:27:00 EST 2013

Ten years and an estimated $2 trillion later, Iraq is free of Saddam Hussein, but hardly in a state of peace and prosperity. Oil production is booming but living standards of many Iraqis have barely improved in the post-war decade. Two million Iraqis are living in internally displaced people's camps. It's calculated that another 3 million are refugees outside the country. Infrastructure rebuilding has been slow. Electricity is sporadic and housing overcrowded. Hanaa Edwar is co-founder of the Iraqi Women's Network and the secretary-general of a human rights NGO, the Iraqi Al-Amal Association. Ms Edwar told Philippa McDonald that the invasion of her country had done more harm than good.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: Ten years and an estimated two trillion dollars later, Iraq is free of Saddam Hussein, but hardly in a state of peace and prosperity.

In fact, as we go to air, I've just been seeing wire service copy saying that there's been an explosion somewhere near the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, and there are helicopters hovering over it.

So Baghdad particularly is not a place of peace and prosperity.

Oil production in the country is booming but living standards of many Iraqis have barely improved in the post-war decade.

Two million Iraqis are living in internally displaced people's camps.

It's calculated that another three million are refugees outside the country.

Infrastructure rebuilding has been slow.

Electricity is sporadic and housing overcrowded.

Hanaa Edwar is co-founder of the Iraqi Women's Network and the secretary-general of a human rights NGO (non-governmental organisation), the Iraqi Al-Amal Association.

Ms Edwar told Philippa McDonald that the invasion of her country had done more harm than good.

HANAA EDWAR: It's still very hard for the ordinary people, especially the security situation.

The living conditions have becomes harder for them. That's after, you know, the opening the door for investment and the change towards the labour market.

Still, employment is very hard; it's a very high per cent.

It's over about 50 per cent for young people - they don't have any job.

Electricity, the water, the sanitation, as well as on housing.

Crowded - you can't imagine, there's three or four families in one house of 100 metres squared.

So it's very hard situation for the ordinary people.

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: And power cuts throughout the day?

HANAA EDWAR: It is now much better - about 10 hours per day you have electricity.

Otherwise to depend on the private -

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: Generation?

HANAA EDWAR: Yes.

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: Ten years on since the US intervention - you called it invasion - what's changed in Iraq? Is the situation any better for Iraqis?

HANAA EDWAR: The main change, which we feel it was one of the very positive ones - is the broken fear of silence in the country.

That's the free thinking of the people. I think this is the main positive of this.

Otherwise, the very hardship situation for the living conditions for the people is still there, though that the country is one of the richest countries in the Middle East.

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: Well how would you describe the challenge for democracy in your country?

HANAA EDWAR: Still very hard, and especially on violations of human rights go on daily, and especially also for women's rights.

It is one of the hardship for us - our dignity, our fighting for the social rights, for the family rights - this is one of the biggest terrible things, when you find that girls of 10 years, of 12 years, being forced to marry and to cut her education.

More than 40 per cent of our women are illiterate, and young women, they don't find themselves with any job.

This is one of the biggest issues.

Though we got recognitions of political rights - now we have 25 per cent of our Parliament, they are women, as well as in the local government, we do have now 25 per cent of that.

It is one of the privileges, but it's still these people, they are not representing the interests of women in Iraq, because of the tribe relations or the sectarian relations that they have been given such high positions.

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: Did the US intervention 10 years ago - backed by Australian forces - do more harm than good in your country?

HANAA EDWAR: Yes, because they made really a lot of mistakes and errors in our country when they divided the people into sectarianism and in sects and in ethnicity.

This is one of the terrible things we are facing - the divisions among the politicians still, the absence of trust.

Though we have elections now, we have local governments now, but the corruptions - also they were part of these corruptions. The corruptions during Saddam's times, it was there, but during the Americans, they have really escalated.

So what we suffered from the consequences of their work in Iraq, it wasn't in the right way, really.